Life — November 17, 1921 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Pilgrim's Progress" - Thanksgiving 1921 This *Life* magazine cover satirizes Native American representation through a darkly ironic lens typical of early 20th-century humor. The central figure appears to be a Native American in traditional dress (feathered headdress, holding a rifle) depicted in a caricatured style, positioned against a large dark circular background. The caption "A Pilgrim's Progress" references John Bunyan's religious allegory while invoking Thanksgiving's origin narrative. The two smaller Native American head portraits flanking the main image appear to emphasize racial caricature as comedic content. The satire likely comments on how European settlers ("pilgrims") displaced Native Americans, using "progress" ironically. This reflects 1921's casually dehumanizing attitudes toward Indigenous peoples common in mainstream American publications of that era.